PrideFest: Lake Worth & the Palm Beaches

PrideFest of Lake Worth & the Palm Beaches

Two full members and three guests met up on Lake Avenue to watch the parade. We purchased our tickets from street vendors ($10) before the parade, which lasted for about an hour. The small town parade had drag queens, hot bodied boys, politicians and local personalities, youth and senior groups, religious houses of worship, several local and national  businesses, municipal and school police, a marching band, and members of advocacy groups like NOW and the ACLU. 

Following the parade, we filed into Bryant Park along with 2700+ others for the main part of PrideFest. In the onslaught I found two of the guests but lost Carlos and Tom, the other guest. We wondered through the tents to see what was being offered by various vendors and listened to the performers, which were all quite good.  We purchased food to eat and rested under the shade of trees to watch all sizes of dogs play as well as to oogle at a bare chested Hercules playing frisbee with his son. 

About 3 o'clock I received a text to meet Carlos at his home (about 1.5 miles away) for a BBQ. Carlos' home is gorgeous, to say the least, and was the perfect gathering place after the crowd and noise of PrideFest. From about 4-6, he, Tom, and I chatted and chuckled about all manner of topics from landscaping, renovations, sightseeing, horror stories, politics, and food. After hors d'oeuvres of various cheeses and crackers, Carlos served a pork dish with his own homemade marinade along with a crisp baguette and salad. He topped off dinner with a mango sorbet. Unfortunately, not from his mango tree. Next time! 

Join the LGBTQ community to celebrate Palm Beach PrideFest Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26, 2017, noon to 6 pm both days in Bryant Park, downtown Lake Worth. I always do the parade on Sunday which starts at 11 then file into Bryant Park afterwards for the remainder of the day. But I am going both days - Saturday, because it is usually "quieter" and then again on Sunday to see folks I missed on Saturday. 

This event features non-stop entertainment, delicious food, awesome merchants and local businesses and organizations, games & fun for all. Admission is $8 in advance and $10 at the gate; covers you for the whole day. $8 tickets are sold all along the parade route. There will be many vendors there selling food, drink, clothing, things for homes/businesses, etc so bring cash for food/drink and credit card for all other purchases.

Between 9:30-10, I find a shady spot on the south side of the street to watch the parade. (Private message me to coordinate the exact location.) Parking is a BEAST, to put it mildly. Get there early to find a convenient, legal street parking spot. DO NOT park near the entrance gate unless you have a handicap sticker or a resident parking decal. DO NOT park near the public boat dock even if you see an open spot; you will get a hefty ticket and/or get towed. If you do not get a ticket, parking is FREE! (LOL)

The Bryant Park has a few shade trees, tables, benches, a lots of grass, and even a beautiful barrier wall along the intercoastal waterway. The weather is forecast for 80 degrees and partly cloudy/partly sunny for Sunday. I recommend wearing a hat, putting on sun screen, wearing light clothing, and wearing sensible shoes - unless you are going as a drag queen, then all bets are off. (LOL) One year I used used an umbrella/parasol for shade; it was festive and did the trick of keeping me shaded and cool.